


and if i'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?

by QueenIsabelle



Series: folklore [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, F/F, Folklore, Hurt, Maybe comfort, things get worse before they get better, three-shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27634307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenIsabelle/pseuds/QueenIsabelle
Summary: Amity joins the Emperor's Coven, but at what cost?
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: folklore [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020559
Kudos: 24





	and if i'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?

_i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace_

* * *

Amity’s ears were ringing. It was all she could focus on, and then, it was screaming. She opened her eyes to see smoke—it was all smoke. She managed to get her elbows under her, to push up from the ground to look around. What was happening? Where were her siblings? Willow? Luz? 

Amity got to her knees, shaking so badly that she was amazed they supported her weight. She squinted through the smoke, trying to make out any image that she could. Nothing.

Then, there was a figure. It was walking straight towards her, slowly. Amity stiffened and struggled to her feet. The figure was tall and imposing and radiated smugness, and she wanted to be ready when she faced it down. Finally, the figure was close enough that she could make out its face—or rather, its helmet. Emperor Belos.

Immediately, Amity fell to one knee, her face turned down to the ground. She had never met him before, but her parents had instilled in her what was expected when one came into contact with the great emperor.

“Rise, Amity,” Emperor Belos said. His voice reverberated through her bones. She fought a shiver as she got to her feet once more.

“You know my name,” Amity said, surprised.

“I make it a point to know about talented witches,” Belos said. “I’ve been watching you for some time now.”

It was all Amity had ever dreamed of… so why did her stomach clench at the thought of the Emperor keeping tabs on her?

“What happened?” Amity asked, focusing her attention on her surroundings. The smoke was beginning to clear, and she could better see the wreckage, yet there was no one else around. It was strange. Amity could have sworn that she had been… what had she been doing? Suddenly, she couldn’t remember.

Behind Emperor Belos was a house—the Owl House. With horror, Amity realized that it was on fire.

_Luz!_ Amity made to run forward, but Belos held out his arm and she stopped without realizing.

“Your human friend is fine,” Belos said. With a start, Amity realized that she must have said Luz’s name out loud. She blushed but pushed forward nonetheless.

“What is happening?” Amity demanded.

“We’ve caught the Owl Lady,” Belos said. “Thanks to you.”

Amity’s blood ran cold. “Me?”

“Don’t you remember, Amity?” Belos’s voice was melodic, like a lullaby. “You came to me and denounced the ways of that wild witch. You said you were sick of her poisoning your poor friend’s mind. You led us here, and you led her outside. And now, she’s dead.”

“No!” The word ripped out of Amity before she could stop it. She hated to speak out against the Emperor, her future, but she couldn’t believe the words he’d said. She would never betray Luz, and she would never wish harm on Eda. And Eda couldn’t be dead, she just couldn’t be.

Emperor Belos chuckled. “Yes,” he said. He raised his arm and the Owl Lady’s staff flew into his outstretched hand, the palisman on top partially destroyed. Amity choked back a sob, fighting to keep her face neutral.

Behind Belos, there was a scream. _Luz._

Belos dropped his arm and motioned for Amity to walk past him. Slowly, cautiously, she did so.

“I think, under the circumstances,” the emperor said, his voice stopping in her tracks, “that your acceptance into the Emperor’s Coven is a given. You’ll report first thing tomorrow morning. Go home, celebrate with your family. You’ve done the Blight family proud.” Amity glanced over her shoulder as Belos walked away, disappearing into the trees. She shivered.

Another scream brought Amity out of her shocked daze and sent her running.

“Luz!” Amity cried out, heading for the Owl House. As she got closer the sobs got louder, until Amity saw the human girl on the porch, collapsed into a heap and sobbing. King was beside her, clutching her tightly, while the house demon in the door was silent for once. Amity’s pace slowed as she got closer, hesitant to approach the crying girl. “Luz?”

Luz looked up at the sound of her name, tears streaming down her face. “Amity!” Her voice broke on the second syllable of Amity’s name. Amity threw herself at Luz and wrapped her in her arms. Luz buried her face in the crook of Amity’s neck and sobbed.

Amity didn’t know how long they sat there, her comforting the human, before Luz’s cries subsided into sniffles subsided into deep breaths. Finally, the girl collapsed into Amity’s arms, exhausted.

“Luz,” Amity asked. “What happened?”

“There—” Luz sniffed. “There was an ambush. They— Eda—” Luz broke down in sobs again.

“Eda’s gone,” King said, his gruff voice broken. Amity couldn’t understand.

“How?” Amity asked.

“She couldn’t do magic anymore after the curse took her over, and the Emperor’s guard was just too strong. Her staff could only do so much,” King said.

“And they just… killed her?” Amity asked. She tried to make it make sense. Without magic, Eda was no real threat to the Coven, so why on Titan would they kill Eda?

“Y-yes!” Luz cried. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Amity and wiped her nose. “I—I don’t know what to do!”

“You have to keep going, Luz,” Amity said firmly. “It’s what Eda would’ve wanted.”

“And how would you know,” a cold voice said, “what Edalyn would’ve wanted?” Amity looked up to see her old mentor, Lilith, glaring down at her with her dual-colored eyes. The streak of gray in her black hair shone under the sunlight. The smoke had fully cleared in the time that Luz had cried, and Amity could fully see the damage that the fight had caused. The yard was ravaged, with trenches and holes and mud flung everywhere. The house was no longer on fire; Amity assumed that Lilith must have taken care of it.

“Luz, step away from the traitor,” Lilith said. She drew a circle and Amity felt herself get blown back.

“Amity!” Luz called. “Lilith, what are you doing?”

“Don’t play coy, Amity,” Lilith said. “Tell Luz what you did.”

“I— I didn’t do anything!” Amity said.

“Liar!” Lilith pulled her staff out of thin air. Luz flung herself in between the witch and Amity.

“Lilith, stop!” Luz cried.

“Tell her, Amity, or I will!” Lilith twirled her staff, her magic crackling around her.

“I don’t know what I did!” Amity yelled, tearing at her hair. Luz stopped at that and turned to face her.

“What do you mean, Amity?” Luz asked slowly. Amity shook her head, stepping back, fingers woven through her green hair.

“The emperor, he said— but I don’t remember! And— and I would never!” Amity babbled.

“What do you mean?” Luz’s voice was ice.

“Eda is dead because of her,” Lilith said. “And now, she has her place in the Emperor’s Coven, just like she’s always dreamed.”

Luz jerked back as if shocked.

“No,” Amity whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

“No,” Luz echoed. “No. That can’t be true.”

“I heard him myself,” Lilith said. Luz turned to Amity, betrayal shining in her eyes.

“I thought we were friends!” Luz yelled. “I thought—” She cut herself off, twining her arms around herself as if to hold herself together.

“We are!” _I want us to be more._ “Luz, please, I wouldn’t. I—”

“Leave, Amity.” Luz had dropped her arms. She stood tall and withdrew her glyphs from her pocket. Amity sucked in a breath.

“Luz, please, listen to me—”

“Leave! Go join the Emperor’s Coven, your future!” Luz threw the words at her. Amity flinched as if they were knives.

“You don’t understand—”

“I understand that I’m letting you leave now,” Luz said, her voice dead. “But if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.”

Amity froze, the words in her mouth drying up. She wouldn’t. Luz could never—

Luz slapped a glyph down on the ground. Ice shards shot up from it and landed inches from Amity’s face.

“Go!” Luz screamed. Amity took a staggering step back, then turned and ran. She ran through the forest, through the town of Bonesborough, all the way to Blight Manor. She finally slowed as she stepped on her family’s property, almost as if she was worried that stopping any place else might sign her death warrant. But wasn’t that only fair, seeing as how she’d apparently signed Eda’s?

Amity collapsed to her knees and wrapped her arms around her middle, similar to how Luz had stood earlier. It was for the same reason, too—holding herself together. Amity truly worried that she might fall apart if she wasn’t careful, so she clung tight to her sides and willed the tears to stay behind her eyes.

“Hey, Mittens.” It was Emira, her voice coming from behind Amity. “Wild day at school today. Did you actually skip?”

“No way Little Miss Perfect skipped school, Em,” Edric said, his voice was right behind Amity. They must have gotten closer. Amity imagined that they were looming over her, getting ready to tease her about something else. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and dug her fingers into her sides hard.

“Mittens?” Em’s voice was soft now. Her hand landed on Amity’s shoulder. Amity flinched. “What’s wrong?”

“Amity,” Odalia Blight’s voice drifted from the mouth of the Manor. Amity looked up to see the silhouettes of her parents standing in the doorway. Heavily, she got to her feet and walked over to them, too drained to walk with the properness of a Blight. She heard Emira and Edric follow behind.

“We heard the wonderful news,” Alador Blight said, arm through his wife’s. He had a small, pleased smile and his eyes twinkled, like he wanted to celebrate with her but was suppressing the urge. Amity was glad; she couldn’t find the energy to attempt to celebrate her so-called accomplishment.

“The Emperor himself told us,” Odalia added, with the same smug smile. Amity was struck with the strong urge to smack it off her face, of both of their faces. Didn’t they know what this had cost her? Didn’t they care?

No, of course they didn’t care. They cared that their perfect child was finally pulling through, the youngest to join a coven, let alone the Emperor’s Coven.

“Stand up straight, dear,” Odalia said. “We have guests coming to celebrate.”

Of course they did.

“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” Emira asked. From the corner of her eye, Amity saw her siblings step up on either side of her.

“Yeah, what did Mittens do?” Edric added.

“Your sister is responsible for the death of the Owl Lady,” Alador said. “And as such, Emperor Belos has allowed her to join the Emperor’s Coven at age fifteen.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Odalia said, clapping her hands together. “It’s short notice, but I’ll make sure you have the party of the century, my dear Amity. We’re so proud of you.” Odalia held her arms open, something she rarely did. Amity knew what that meant.

She didn’t look at her siblings as she stepped forward and entered her mother’s embrace. She laid her head on her shoulder, and her mother petted her hair.

“I expect you to behave better at the party, Amity,” her mother whispered in her ear. “This is your future. Aren’t you happy?”

Unbidden, Amity’s spine straightened. When she was released from her mother’s embrace, Amity had once again become the picture perfect Blight.

“Yes, Mother. I’m thrilled.”


End file.
